Aria Serious is San Diego Opera's official blog. We'll focus on the serious and not-so-serious world of opera with behind-the-scenes looks at our productions, artists and news.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Super Captain Chronicles Comes to a Close

Super Captain Jesi Betancourt's Super Captain Series for Moby-Dick comes to a close with her final entry called "Last Dance."

We hope you have enjoyed these as much as we have. And she'll be back. We promise.

The Last Dance

Like everything good, there must be an end. Thus there must be a last performance of San Diego Opera’s Moby-Dick. Last shows are always bittersweet, not unlike the last day of summer camp.

After months of planning, weeks of rehearsal and performances we come to the final show. The Sunday matinee is a time of joy. Successfully putting together a show gives everyone the giddy feeling of a job well done. Yet there is a dark cloud that hangs over the performance. This is the last time that we will all be together with the music of Moby-Dick. It can be hard to let go.

For me the last show brings into sharp relief that the last performance is a singular moment in time. It will never happen again. You become very aware that this is the last time you will hear the overture, the last time to dance, the last time to fight, the last curtain call. You try to stop and savor the moment, but it keeps rushing past with each beat of maestro’s baton.

The work doesn’t stop once the final note has been played. The stage crew and costume handlers spend hours packing up the props, costumes and set. The sets are loaded in to huge semi-trucks in the dead of night. The physical aspect of Moby-Dick is rolling onto its next stop. Once it arrives at the San Francisco Opera the process will begin anew. Another cycle of firsts: first rehearsal, another fight call, another opening night.

For the supers it is time to go back to their normal routines. They no longer have evening rehearsals or performances. They pass through the artist’s entrance one last time. Among the cast there is a bit of a letdown. Something that has been a huge part of their lives for so many weeks is now done. Farewells are mixed with promises to keep in touch. Many of the friendships that are formed during an opera carry on after the show ends. The bonds that are created among supers and singers are unique. The shared experience of being on stage together cements lasting emotional ties. Many supers get together for post season dinners. Stories of backstage hijinks and on stage mishaps are shared amidst laughter and libations. The common theme carried throughout any gathering is that everyone is eager to do another opera.

The last note is played. The curtain has fallen one last time. The costumes are packed, the props are stored. The dressing rooms are empty and the hallways echo hollowly, no longer filled with cast and crew. After a memorable roller coaster ride of firsts and lasts it is time to say farewell to the Pequod and each other….until the next time.

Interested in auditioning to be a super in our exciting 2013 season? Call the Super Hotline, 619-533-7073.